The Devil's Tribulation

Pan Chengfeng brought Dachun back to his home. After entering the house, Pan Chengfeng looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then closed the door. Although no one should pay attention to the two children, it is better to be careful. As soon as he entered the house, he heard Dachun say: "Tell me, what do you want my help with?" Pan Chengfeng looked at the child in front of him who was about his age with a little surprise, and thought to himself: "He actually knew that I asked him for help?" In modern society, children of this age may not have this kind of intelligence. Seeing Pan Chengfeng looking at him, Dachun was surprised and said: "What are you looking at? My father said that if you want to get a reward, you need to pay. You will definitely not give me the candy for free. There must be something wrong." After speaking, he looked at Pan Chengfeng, and Pan Chengfeng was more relieved.

With this mentality, things will be easy later. He was afraid that the kid was too stupid to be taught. Pan Chengfeng smiled and said, "Brother Dachun, it's actually very simple. You just need to say a word in front of your mother." Dachun asked suspiciously, "So simple?" Pan Chengfeng nodded and said, "It's that simple!" Dachun thought for a while and asked, "What?" Pan Chengfeng waved his hand, and then Dachun put his ear close to him. Pan Chengfeng whispered in Dachun's ear. Dachun scratched his ear and said, "I won't do it! My dad will beat me to death!" Pan Chengfeng looked at the face of this little brat. He didn't look like he was afraid. He was clearly trying to bargain! He thought to himself, "Is this kid so cunning? I wanted to keep two more candies, but now it seems I have to increase my investment."

Pan Chengfeng waved his hand and slapped four candies on the table. Dachun was delighted and was about to reach out to take them, but Pan Chengfeng was faster and took away two candies and said, "I'll give you two first. After the matter is done, you can come to me to get the other two." Dachun took the two candies without saying anything and said, "Wait for my news. In fact, I also dislike that fat housekeeper." Who said it wasn't true? How many families in the village have not suffered from the loss of housekeeper Pan? Although Dachun's family did not go to exchange rice, his father's students, who were also Dachun's classmates, had been bullied by the fat housekeeper to some extent.

So why is Li Dachun more intelligent than other children of the same age? He should thank his father. Li Dachun's father was a scholar who lived in the county town. After passing the examination at the age of seventeen, he began to take the examination for the title of Juren. After failing the examination several times, he became discouraged and came to Panjia Village, planning to live a free and easy life. He usually taught people in the village to read and write, and collected some tuition fees. Dachun and his sister also studied with him. So the saying "Reading makes one wise" is not a lie. Look at the other children. Except for Pan Chengfeng, who was very good, the other children were still ignorant at the age of eight or nine.

Although there are teachers who teach people to read and write, there are only a few families in this village who can read. Including the two brothers and sisters, there are only about ten students in the classroom, but it is enough to feed and clothe Li Xiucai's family. Whether in modern times or in ancient times, studying is a kind of money-burning thing, especially in ancient times, when the whole family often supported a scholar. Well, it is almost the same now, with all kinds of tutoring, fees, and interests. Many parents also feel a lot of pressure.

In the afternoon, when Li Dachun returned home, he was thinking about how to convey the message to his mother, when he saw his mother holding a basin and a mallet and preparing to wash clothes. Afraid of delaying the work and not getting the remaining remuneration, Dachun thought for a while and spoke directly, asking in an innocent voice: "Mom, does the housekeeper Pan of the Pan family like Aunt Cuihua?" Aunt Li was shocked and quickly blamed: "Dachun, don't say that." Dachun said aggrievedly: "Mom, I didn't say that. Yesterday, I saw housekeeper Pan and Aunt Cuihua, pulling each other at the back door of their house, and Aunt Cuihua was pulled into the Pan residence by housekeeper Pan." Aunt Li seemed to have received some great news and asked hurriedly: "Really? Don't make a mistake." Dachun said: "Really, I also heard Aunt Cuihua's voice, how could I be wrong?" Aunt Li asked hurriedly: "What did they say?" Li Dachun scratched the back of his head and said: "Aunt Cuihua seemed to say that it was too late, and housekeeper Pan said that it wouldn't take much time." Just these two sentences were enough for Aunt Li to imagine thousands of scenes in her mind. Aunt Li was stunned for a while and reminded: "Children, don't talk about adults' affairs casually."

At this time, Li Dachun's father came out and saw the mother and son talking. He asked, "What are you talking about? You look so excited. I warn you, don't go out and talk nonsense! If you talk nonsense, I won't forgive you!" After that, he looked at Dachun and said, "And you! You don't study all day, and you go crazy outside. You also bring your sister with you. I punish you to copy the Three Character Classic ten times!" Dachun's face changed! Ten times? More than 10,000 words! How long will he write? Don't even think about going out recently. I didn't expect that a few candies would cost so much? Aunt Li saw that her son had to write day and night again, and said distressedly, "Husband, the child is still young, copy less times."

Li Xiucai flicked his sleeves and said, "Humph, a loving mother often spoils her son. You can't copy less than once. Show it to me in three days! If the handwriting is messy, you have to re-copy it!" After that, he turned around and prepared to go back to the house. A crisp voice stopped Li Xiucai and said, "Daddy, why did you punish my brother again?" After that, he hugged Li Xiucai's legs and said coquettishly, "I asked my brother to take me out to play. Please let my brother copy less times. Last time, my brother's hands shook for several days and he couldn't even hold the chopsticks." Hearing the baby girl's coquettish voice, Li Xiucai's stern face smiled. Thinking of his son's hands shaking for several days last time, his face softened a little and said, "Then copy five times less." He bent down and picked up the second sister and said, "My baby girl is satisfied now, right?" "Daddy is the best!" Dachun breathed a sigh of relief and thought secretly, "Could I be picked up and raised by my parents? My second sister is my parents' biological child?" Seeing that her husband doted on her second sister so much, Aunt Li smiled with relief and went out to wash clothes.

Aunt Li thought about her son's words and her husband's instructions, and decided that she must not gossip today. She took a basin and a mallet to the stream, and saw a group of women washing clothes. She found a place to put down the basin and started washing clothes. Three women make a drama, let alone a group of aunts together? One on this side talked about the family at the head of the village, and the other on that side talked about the family at the end of the village. Aunt Li listened with her ears perked up, and couldn't help wanting to interrupt several times, but she held back in the end. "Hey, Aunt Li, you usually talk the most, why are you mute today?" The wife of Ergou from the head of the village said with a smile. Aunt Li chuckled and said, "What trivial things are you talking about? If I talk about it, you will scare your jaws off!"

Ergou's wife smiled and said, "Don't brag, what could scare everyone's jaws off?!" Aunt Li was about to open her mouth to refute, but she thought of her husband's instructions. So she swallowed the words she was about to spit out with difficulty. She just lowered her head and slapped her husband's clothes with a mallet, as if the clothes had a grudge against her. Everyone found it strange to see Aunt Li's hesitation. Usually Aunt Li is the most talkative, why does she look so bitter and resentful today.

We are all from the same village, who doesn't know what's going on in each other's family? Looking at Aunt Li's behavior, she must have been told by her husband, otherwise, with Aunt Li's temper, she didn't say a word after washing clothes for such a long time, there must be something wrong. It was the woman from Heiwa's family at the end of the village who was smart. She asked: "Aunt Li, did you know something serious? Your husband doesn't want you to tell anyone?" Aunt Li smiled proudly: "Nothing, nothing." With that smug look, anyone could tell that something was wrong. If she didn't say anything, she would just whet everyone's appetite. So everyone persuaded Aunt Li together: "Just tell us, we are not outsiders, we will definitely not talk nonsense." One sentence after another: "Aunt Li, just tell us." Aunt Li was very proud to hear it.

Finally, Aunt Li couldn't help it and whispered, "Everyone knows Chen Cuihua from the village chief's family, right?" Everyone said, "Of course she knows them, what's the matter?" Aunt Li continued, "Then everyone knows Pan Guanjia from the Pan family, right?" Everyone nodded suspiciously. Everyone knew these two people. What was so strange about them? Everyone was waiting for Aunt Li to continue. Who would have thought that Aunt Li didn't continue, but just stretched out her hands, pointed her fists, and then stretched out the big mother and son, and finally the two big mother and son bent. Everyone was really shocked and said, "Aunt Li, you can't say this casually. If the village chief knows, Chen Cuihua will die!" This is going to be thrown into the pig cage. Normally, she dares to say anything, but no one says this kind of dirty words.

Seeing that everyone was indeed surprised, Aunt Li said with satisfaction: "I didn't say anything, you said it yourself." It seems that Aunt Li also knows that this kind of thing cannot be said casually, so she just gestured and let everyone guess. Everyone knows what the gesture means, so why guess? If it is about two unmarried young people, it is not a big deal, but now it is about two married people in their thirties and forties, which is a big problem. The aunts have different thoughts, and they hurriedly washed the clothes and went home.

In this way, the news spread quietly in the village. The content was varied, of course, the core meaning was that the housekeeper Pan and Chen Cuihua had an affair, and some even said that the two had had an affair for a long time, and that the son of the village chief might not be his biological son, and they said it with details.